The present invention relates generally to water sports and more particularly to a device for protecting the hull of a water vehicle such as a boat or a jet ski from being scratched.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that water sports are very popular. These water sports can consist of any type of water vehicle such as a bass or ski boat, a sailboat, a water ski, and the like. Often times, individuals desire to bring their water vehicles up to and onto a shore. The reason behind this is that not all shores have docks. Bringing a water vehicle onto a shore can often cause scratching to the hull. Over time, the scratching becomes not only unsightly but also aerodynamically unsound thereby causing the need for the hull to be repaired.
Devices such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,260,282; 5,316,409; 4,972,791; 4,696,250; and 4,803,942 describe various types of portable docks. Unfortunately, before the water vehicle arrives into one of these portable docks, it can contact stones and other obstructions thereby causing scratching of the hull.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,719 discloses a bra that protects the hull of a boat. Unfortunately, this device is intended for only use with a bass boat and can not be easily used in connection with a sailboat or a jet ski. Further, this device is difficult to attach and remove. When it is left in the water, it is subject to dryrot or other type of damage. However, its inconvenience will cause individuals to keep the bra on the vehicle thereby causing rotting.
What is needed, then, is a device which can protect the hull of a water vehicle. This needed device must not be attached to a boat which would make it difficult to attach and remove from a boat and which would also affect the aerodynamics of the water craft during usage. This needed device must be easy to manufacture. This needed device must be capable of being disassembled into a very small unit. This needed device must be capable of being anchored to the shore. This needed device must be easily manufactured. This needed device is presently lacking in the prior art.